Social Media

Ghosts Are Not Real, Even on Facebook

Facebook ain't afraid of no ghost. Hundreds of thousands of users scrambled to participate in the social network's latest hoax.

The image, posted Monday by a page called See more, invited users to interface with the supernatural. According to the instructions, a user needed to "like" the post, whereupon the photo would reveal one ghost. Then after commenting with the number "1," the rest of the ghosts would magically appear in the haunted house.

(Not) surprisingly, over 239,000 people had "liked" the post, and 122,000 had commented by the time of publication. An overwhelming number of the comments were, in fact, the number one.

However, others chimed in with advice, such as "another sucker pic" or "Nope i pressed 1 and nothing appeared!??!"

Seems to us someone just wanted to rattle your chains.

BONUS: 8 Social Media Hoaxes You Fell for This Year

8 Social Media Hoaxes You Fell for This Year

1. Fake Hurricane Sandy Pictures

While everyone waited the arrival of Hurricane Sandy, social media users shared completely fake storm images, including this one, which combined a New York harbor photo with a 2004 picture, taken by photographer Mike Hollingshead.

2. The Future Isn't Here Yet

Remember that scene in Back To The Future, when Doc sets the DeLorean to an obscure future date? On June 27, 2012, a Photohopped image pitted that day as "the future," and the rumor spread quickly on Facebook. Except that day day wasn't "the future" -- the clock is actually set for Oct. 21, 2015.

3. #BaldforBieber

In October, a hoax involving Justin Bieber encouraged fans to shave their heads to support the pop star, who -- according to the false rumor -- was recently diagnosed with cancer. A video posted to YouTube included fake, Photoshopped tweets from his account announcing the news and pictures of fans shaving their heads for support. #BaldforBieber also started to trend in the U.S.

4. Facebook Shutting Down

A rumor that Facebook planned to shut down its site on March 15 made the rounds earlier this year, claiming CEO Mark Zuckerberg “wants his old life back” and desires to “put an end to all the madness.” A Facebook spokesperson later debunked the rumor, saying “the answer is no, so please help us put an end to this silliness.”

5. Morgan Freeman Death Rumors

Social media occasionally circulates false celebrity death rumors, but the alleged news about actor Morgan Freedman's passing in August took on a life of its own. His fake Facebook tribute pageraked in nearly 1 million Likes, and the rumors picked up again in October, when people on social networks shared their condolences.

6. Bieber Naked Photos

To grow hype around his new song “Beauty and the Beat,” Justin Bieber tweeted that someone stole his laptop. However, the singer confronted someone claiming to be the thief on Twitter, who said they would release big news and a controversial video online the next day. It turned out to be a marketing ploy.

But the news ushered in a wave of security concerns. Some cybercriminals set phishing traps and lure unsuspecting consumers to click on malicious links based around pop culture news, especially when leaked photos are involved. And this is precisely what happened.

7. Facebook Privacy Status Update

In June, a fake "Facebook Privacy Notice" took the social network by storm, urging users to re-post a message that would allegedly protect their privacy. The concept was based around the faux notion that the company's IPO would affect user privacy. Facebook members were quick to share the post, and before we knew it, the false claim had overtaken the site.

8. Fake Kidnapping

When a 16-year-old girl from New Jersey tweeted that someone was in her house and then mysteriously disappeared, Twitter users rallied around her message. Not only did #HelpFindKara trend worldwide on Twitter, nearly 34,000 people retweeted her call for help. But police discovered she actually faked her own kidnapping.

The news didn't sit well with the Internet — many said they were "disgusted" with her tweet, which caused fear in so many people. Police later found her walking alongside a highway and returned her safely to family.

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